Cat's Cradle
by The Cannibal God
Summary: When Yomi makes another enigmatic prophecy, Michiru knows that she alone can solve the riddle. But what if the answer turns out to be a little more personal than she had hoped? Yuri. Yomi/Michiru. Michiru's POV.
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: I don't own Zombie Loan_**

It reminds me of the first time. The first time that I met Yomi.

She has me pinned to the bed again. Only this time, the Chairperson isn't around to save me. God knows what Chika and Shito are up to right now. Koyomi is drunk on Fantan. It's just Yomi and I. I have a feeling that this will not end well.

She looks at me with her violet eyes and reaches towards my own eyes. She takes off my glasses. I don't want her to, but I can't move to stop her. I stare at the black ring around her neck and a whimpering noise escapes my throat.

"Shh, Chiruchiru," she purrs, laying her head on my chest and listening to my pounding heart. I wonder if a zombie's heart beats the same way that a human's does. She is running her fingers through my hair, tugging at it too hard. She caresses my face, and the coldness of her hands makes me cry out.

She muffles my scream with a violent kiss. I try to fight it, but it is hard to fight when she is lying on top of me. I can't get away. She realizes that I'm struggling, and stops for a moment.

"You don't like it?" She cocks her head to the side. I'm almost afraid to answer her. Yomi scares me, and I'm sure that she senses it.

"You're too rough!" My voice is a whimper. To my surprise, she smiles.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, Chiruchiru," She kisses me again, gentler this time. At first I try to fight it, but then I realize that there is no point in fighting anymore.

I'm trapped. I can't get away. There is nothing for me to do but lay here and passively let Yomi have her way with me. I wish that someone would come to rescue me. I pray for Chika to burst into the room and interrupt us. But I have a sinking feeling that no one is going to rescue me.

So, I do the only thing that I can do at the moment. I kiss her back. It's not so bad if I close my eyes and imagine that Yomi is someone else. Someone male, preferably. But it's hard to imagine that she is male when her breast is pressed up against mine.

Yomi is sneaky. She has managed to get her hands inside of my shirt, although I do not remember her moving them. They aren't cold anymore; she seems to have sucked all the warmth from my own body and made it her own. She is sucking the life from me. More like a vampire than a zombie. I feel her hand squeeze my left breast, and I automatically tense up with fear.

"Don't worry, Chiruchiru. I would never do anything to hurt you," her voice is so soft, I can't help but relax a bit. I exhale slowly, while she continues to squeeze. Her other hand has moved down to my thigh by now. Without my consent, a moan escapes my throat.

"S-stop!" I sputter. She smiles at me and doesn't stop. My breathing becomes sharp, and I try to push her hands away. But she's stronger than me; it doesn't stop her. In fact, it only seems to encourage her. I struggle to get my words out between breaths, "I said stop it!"

"Chiruchiru," She whispers in my ear. For some reason, her voice is soothing. It's like she's casting a spell on me. I don't want to fall under Yomi's spell. But it's hard to get angry when her voice is so soft, and what she's doing feels so… Good.

Did I really just think that? But it's impossible to deny. Another moan escapes my mouth as her hand goes to a place that I would rather her not touch.

"D-don't touch me there!" My voice is a whisper, a mere suggestion. But I feel her hand withdraw slightly. I open my eyes and realize that both her hands are now cupping my face, and she is looking deep into my eyes.

"I understand if you aren't ready yet. I'll wait. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable," she says softly. My body suddenly feels very light as she removes herself from on top of me and sits on the edge of the bed. She is looking at me as if she's waiting for me to say something, but I don't know what to say. She smiles, "Well, when you're ready…"

I open my mouth, but no sound comes out. I'm relieved that she stopped. But at the same time, I can't deny that whatever she was doing felt unbelievably good.

"Yomi," I manage to say after a long silence. I can't remember what else I was going to say, though. I look at Yomi. Her eyes are closed, and she seems to have gone into one of her trances. She seems to be straining to get words out.

"Ichi... Ichi… Ni… Go…"

One. One. Two. Five. More numbers, just like the last time… But why is she telling this to me? If this is some kind of prophesy, then why is she telling it to me?

"Neko wa… Nemasu."

_The cat sleeps_. I ponder this for a moment, but it doesn't make much sense to me. It is like the first time that I saw her use her powers. It doesn't make any sense right now, but I have a feeling that it will someday. However, this time I feel as if the message is to me alone. She chose to tell me this. Now I'm the one who has to figure it out.

_**Translation Note: I'm just learning Japanese, so the small amount of it that I use in this fanfic might not be 100 kosher...**_

**"Neko" m**_**eans "cat", but is also sometimes used to the more feminine role in a girl x girl relationship, according to wikipedia...**_

_**I use Japanese honorifics throughout this fic... Generally, adding -san to the end of someone's name is a sign of respect, and is roughly equivalent to Mr., Ms. Miss, or Mrs. in English. -chan is a more casual way to address someone(sometimes used as a tone of endearment, I think). I don't think I'm capable of explaining Japanese honorifics fully because I only have minimal knowledge of them myself... **_


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: I still don't own Zombie Loan_**

The sound of the door violently swinging open interrupts my thoughts.

"Oi, Gopher!" Chika greets me loudly. He stops for a moment when he notices that my shirt is unbuttoned. His eyebrows raise a few degrees. He is probably guessing what went on before he opened the door. I watch as he tries to ignore these thoughts. "It's hunting time again! Time to earn some money!"

I steal a glance towards Yomi. But I can tell that she is no longer there. Koyomi looks at me oddly, yawning. "Sorry, I must have dozed off…"

"It's a high priced zombie!" Chika is saying enthusiastically. I button up my shirt, trying to sound interested. Although it always hard for me to be very excited about being his 'Gopher'.

I don't have much of a choice but to go with him, though. Anyway, hunting zombies with Chika and Shito sounds like a much better option than being molested by Yomi. I smile and follow him eagerly, leaving a dazed Koyomi behind.

--

Well, which one has a ring?" Chika demands impatiently. I squint into the crowd of people, straining to see if any of them has a black ring.

"I don't see any black rings," I confess.

"Give her a break, Chika," Shito says softly. "She's still new at this."

"Sorry, Michiru," Chika sighed, realizing that he is being unreasonable. "I just want to pay off this loan as fast as I can…"

"I understand," I reply, desperately trying to spot the zombie among the large crowd of people. But the closer I look, the more it seems to elude me. "We're all in this together! If I can use my powers to help you, then…"

"What is it, Kita-san?" Shito asks, but I am not paying attention.

Before I know what I am doing, I am weaving my way through the crowd, making my way to a small ledge. Something catches my eye, but it isn't a zombie.

It is a cat. Sleeping on the ledge.

_Neko wa nemasu_. Yomi's words echo through my head as I approach it. When I am less than a few feet away from it, I notice something odd.

The cat has a black ring around its neck!

"Oi! Wait up, Gopher!" Chika shouts, running after me. The whining tone of his voice disturbs the cat, which abruptly leaps off the ledge in fright and runs to safety. I chase after it, ignoring Chika completely. Something tells me that I should not let the cat get away. This feeling is not entirely rational, but I have learned not to question such intense instincts.

Of course, the cat runs much faster than I do. I soon lose sight of it completely. I groan and strain to catch my breath.

"Gopher!" Chika breathes when he catches up to me. He stops to catch his breathe, and I vaguely chuckle at the idea of a zombie being winded. He glares at me, "Why did you just run off like that?"

"That cat," I say, panting a bit. "It had a black ring around its neck."

I decide not to tell him about Yomi's prophecy. He would probably be angry if he knew that I knew something that he didn't. Besides, I feel as if Yomi wanted me to figure it out for myself. I'm not sure why I think this. Perhaps I trust my instincts a bit too much, sometimes…

"It's a tabby. All of them have black stripes and rings. It's just the way it's marked. Baka!" Chika retorts angrily.

"No, it wasn't just its markings," I reply just as angrily. Why does he ask for my help and then complain? I am starting to wonder if I should just tell him about Yomi's prophecy. I sigh deeply. "Look… Last night when I was with Yomi…"

"Ew, I don't want to know about that!" Chika cuts me off, a disgusted look on his face. "I can guess what you were up to…"

"Do you think I like it when she comes on to me?" I exclaim, glaring at him. "No! The only reason I ever let her have her way with me is because I don't have much of a choice in the matter! And that's not even what I was going to tell you about. If you'd just shut up and listen…"

"Baka! Don't tell me to shut up, Gopher!" Damn, I have managed to get Chika in one of his moods. And what I am about to say isn't going to make it any better. "So what were you going to say? Eh? Spit it out!"

"Well," I start, "Last night, Yomi-san used her power to tell me something… And I have reason to believe that that cat had something to do with it."

As expected, this only adds to Chika's anger. "Oi, why didn't you tell us this before?! What exactly did she say?"

I hesitate for a moment. I'm not sure why, but I don't feel that Chika has a right to know the prophecy. Yomi told it to me. If she wanted to others to know, then she would have told them. But she didn't. She told it to me. And somehow, I feel that this prophecy is for me alone. It has nothing to do with zombies or paying off loans. It is a prophecy for me. A prophecy that I must figure out on my own. A secret message that only her lover could possibly understand…

"I don't really remember it word for word… It caught me off guard; I was too surprised to really remember it," I say. Of course, this is a complete lie.

Why am I lying? I do not normally have a habit of lying. At least, I do not lie to other people much. On the other hand, I lie to myself all the time. I wear my glasses so that I cannot see the truth around me. I lie because I cannot handle the truth. I have been a compulsive liar ever since my parents' death. But now, I have taken it to a new level.

"I see," Chika says. He sighs. Oddly, he does not argue with me. He simply turns his back to me and addresses his companion. "Shito! We were wrong, the zombie isn't here!"

"Well, this is all trial and error. Maybe we'll get lucky next time," Shito replies without much emotion. He seems as if he wasn't expecting this mission to be successful. Or maybe he just doesn't care. Sometimes I wonder if Shito even has any human left in him at all. He's so stoic, it's as if he has lost all emotion. He is exactly the kind of person that I would have expected a zombie to be.

"Be sure to tell us if Yomi-san whispers any more sweet nothings in your ear," Chika mumbles to me. "And remember that you can only stay here as long as you make yourself useful!"

I smile at him despite his attitude. "I'll try my best, Chika."


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Surprize surprise, Zombie Loan is still not belonging to me... I didn't get around to proof-reading this more than once because I'm lazy. There is some implied yuri in this chapter... So, on those notes, read at your own risk.**_

"Neko wa nemasu." _I can see my parents, alive and well. They don't see me, but I can see them. I reach out for them, but they are like the clouds in the sky. So close, yet so far away. It's as if I am watching a movie. None of this is real. I have had this dream enough to know that by now. I also know what is going to happen next. _

"Okite, neko." _I watch as the rings form around their necks. They form faster each time. Deep black and hopeless rings. Kuroi ringu. Mark of the dead. I watch as the Reaper comes up behind them, knowing that there is nothing I can do to stop him. He slashes his scythe through their rings. I watch hopelessly, unable to look away. A flurry of black feathers; my parents bleed shinigami feathers. The sound of wings fluttering as they are whisked away. I wonder where they go, but I am afraid to know. I am screaming, pleading. But no one can hear me. No one…_

"Watashi no neko…" I open my eyes to see that Yomi is hovering above me. She looks worried. I grab my glasses so that I do not have to look at the ring around her neck. I can feel sweat cling to my body; tears run down my cheek.

"My little neko was crying in her sleep," Yomi said. She is melancholy. "Is something wrong, Chiruchiru?"

"I'm okay," Another lie. I feel Yomi's violet eyes meet mine, boring into my soul. I blink and avert my gaze. "Just a bad dream, that's all. Nothing to worry about."

"Why does neko-chan lie?" Yomi asks.

"I don't lie, Yomi-san," I whimper, vaguely wondering why she is referring to me as that.

"That's right, my neko-chan never lies," Yomi smiles sadly. "She just hides the truth."

I sigh deeply. Well, it would be lying to deny this. "You're right, Yomi-san. I do. I hide the truth because the truth is too hard for anyone to bear."

"I can bear it," Yomi smiles and removes my glasses. "I love you, Michiru-chan. If you let me, I will teach you how to bear it, too."

"Teach me, senpai," I whisper. I don't know why I say this. It just comes out of my mouth without thinking about what it means.

Yomi smiles, and I immediately start to regret my last sentence. There is suddenly an uncomfortable static in the air. Sexual tension. A shiver creeps down my spine.

Her hands caress my face gently, removing my glasses and setting them back on the nightstand. Somehow, this doesn't bother me. I sigh as she parts my lips with her fingers. I can't help but notice that Yomi is gentler than before. Her lips are soft against mine. Her tongue does not violently assault my mouth like before.

She is slowly making her way down my body with her mouth, as if I am some kind of tasty sweet. She traces my collarbone with her tongue, and the unexpected sensation sends a shiver of pleasure down my spine.

Before I know it, she has moved on to my breasts. Her tongue is all over my left breast, as if she is a cat that is trying to clean me. She suddenly bites my nipple playfully, when I least expect it.

"Yomi-san!" I do not mean to gasp her name like this, but what she is doing to me is making my heart race. I want to tell her to stop, but at the same time I don't want her to stop. I feel her lips smile against my flesh. Whether I want it or not, she is moving down for the kill.

_**Translation Note: "Okite, neko" "Wake up, cat."  
"Kuroi ringu" "Black Ring"  
"Watashi no neko…" "My cat..."  
"Senpai" I'm not sure of the exact definition... Perhaps something along the lines of "one who departs first"? It is generally used to address upperclassmen. ...Or, this could be another case of my failure at grasping the Japanese language... **_


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N: Heh, I wish I owned Zombie Loan, but no... This here be the last chapter._**

Yomi is smiling down at me. It is a sad smile, but the tear that runs slowly down her cheek is a tear of joy. My cheeks grow red hot as the reality of what I just did sinks in. Embarassed, I turn my head so that I do not have to look at her.

The bright red numbers of the digital clock flash before my eyes. 11:25 PM. The cat sleeps no more; she has woken up to her master's voice. I have obeyed Yomi's every command, like the pet that I am.

I can feel tears welling up in my eyes. Tears of anger. I violently push her off of me, trying to forget that any of this happened. Trying to pretend that it was all just a nightmare, and that I will wake up soon. Lying to myself again. I've grown rather good at that lately.

I run out of the room, afraid to look back. I can still see her in my mind's eye, though. She is sitting there on my bed, looking back at me. Tears roll down her cheeks. They are not tears of joy.

But I am so angry at myself, I don't care that I've made her sad. It was her fault; she came on to me. But I let her do it. I let her make love to me. And for that, I am the guilty one. I am only human, and we humans have such fragile hearts. I should know better than to expose my heart to a monster.

I do not know where my legs are taking me. Suddenly I come to a halt and look around. It is the same place that I came to earlier today, with Chika and Shito. Once again, my eyes are drawn to a ledge where a cat sleeps. It is the zombie cat. Somehow, it is exactly what I expected to see. I walk up to it slowly, but it still senses me. It gets up suddenly, arching its back and hissing. Its eyes are a blood red color; its teeth are longer and sharper than normal.

I am quite calm now, although I could not explain why. I continue to move towards the cat. It continues to hiss and growl, but I am not alarmed. I am now a mere foot away from the cat. It does not run or attack; it just stands there, hissing at me.

I reach towards it in a daze, vaguely hoping that it will attack me. I wonder what happens to people who are killed by zombies. Is it like in the movies? Do they become zombies too? I realize how little I know about everything. Why didn't I ever ask Chika and Shito about things like that? Well, I suppose I am about to find out…

"Neko," The voice does not belong to me. As I look up at her, I feel like I am snapping out of one spell and being overtaken by another.

The cat is no longer hissing; in fact, it seems to have gone back to sleep.

"Yomi, what are you doing here?" I ask angrily.

"I could ask you that same question, Chiruchiru," Yomi replies.

"I just… Needed some fresh air," I retort hastily.

But that isn't the real reason. The truth is, the incident with Yomi made me realize something… Something that I can't handle. Something that could not be covered up by mere lies…

To my surprise, Yomi chuckles. She reaches out and hits my glasses off of my face, making them fall in the dirt. I glare at her angrily, but the look that she returns makes my frown melt away. "No more lies, Chiruchiru. Okay?"

Somehow, I can't help but smile. I steal a glance towards the cat on the ledge. It is sleeping peacefully; the black ring around its neck has vanished completely.

I sigh deeply, trying to release all of my tension in that one breath. I look down at my glasses on the ground. My lies, my crutch. I bring my bare foot down on them, shattering the lenses. Glass shards cut the soles of my feet, but I don't care. I can handle the pain. I have learned that what does not kill me will only make me stronger.

The truth is more powerful than lies. I used to think that the truth was just a weapon that could be used against me. I was too weak to wield it. The truth is a double-edged sword. However, in the hands of a skilled swordsman, it can be wielded.

I was never that skilled. I was weak, so I hid behind lies. I wove a web of lies to protect me from the truth. It was not until I met Yomi that I realized I have been tangled up in my own cat's cradle of lies.

But now, I have decided to try to wield the truth. Of course, there will be pain. But I've found that lies actually hurt the wielder more than the truth does. Usually.

I hug Yomi affectionately, then pull back, staring deeply at the black ring around her neck. Thoughts of Chika and Shito pop into my head. What would they think if they saw me like this? I am smiling as I whisper in her ear. "No more lies… I would be lying if I promised that. But I'll try, Yomi. I'll try."


End file.
